PgM 22: Concluding Thoughts

What are the Benefits?

The benefits of establishing a BC awareness program for the organization are:

Awareness of the importance of having an organization-wide BCP and the management’s commitment to it
Appreciation and understanding of what have been put in place by the organization to respond to disaster and reduce the impact on the business
Awareness of the emergency response procedures
Awareness of the role and responsibilities of each employee
Awareness of who are in the BCP teams and what their roles and responsibilities are
Strengthening the shareholders’ and investors’ confidence in the organization’s capability in dealing with disasters, thereby increasing the resiliency of the business
Improving the organization’s image and branding, thereby strengthening customer confidence in the organization’s services or products

Lack Appreciation by Executive Management

In many organizations today, the Executive Management does not seem to fully realize how much the organization is dependent on its BCP. Only when a real disaster strikes the organization will Management appreciate the value of their investment in the maintenance of the BCP.

An up-to-date BC Plan will provide reasonable assurance that the organization will minimize the effects of a disaster on its operations. Therefore, the maintenance and updating of the BC Plan as an essential element to the survival of the organization cannot be over-emphasized. It is also a fact that no organization can afford to neglect.

To ensure that management continually provides the resources towards the maintenance of the BC Plan, the Organization BCM Coordinator must continually “sell” BCP virtues to all the stakeholders.

Using Software Tools for Maintenance

Your BC Plan must be documented using computer based software. The maintenance required to keep it up to date is too great to be done manually. If the work becomes too onerous, the maintenance will not be done and the BC Plan becomes as good as useless.
Be very clear on what you want the BC Plan to do for you, and how it is going to do it. Be sure of the features and functions that you require before you go out looking for one.

There is no such thing as "the best" methodology or tool. What you are looking for is one that suits your particular requirements. Each organization will see its BC requirements differently.

It will also have its own way of writing and implementing the BC Plan and its own way of maintaining the BC Plan. Do not be afraid of asserting your particular needs to the prospective vendors. Remember that when you reject a vendor’s offer, you are not saying that it is not good, but rather that it does not suit your specific needs as well as it does someone else's.

Look carefully at the organization that provides the tool.

How long have they been in business in your country?
Are they based or at least have substantial representation in your city? Is there a history of updates to the BC Plan/tool?
Does the vendor provide training?
Does the vendor itself use the BC Plan?

Although not every question may be applicable to your circumstance, what you are looking for is confidence that the vendor is in a position to assist you in implementation and maintenance, and is committed to the future of the product.

Six Life Saving Pointers

These are six of the most important pointers for BC program management:

Development of a three-year or five-year strategic plan
Effective executive interaction
Ongoing threat assessments
Third party program input
Ongoing methodology enhancement post COVID-19
Improved awareness through positive test outcomes

Reference

Goh, M. H. (2021). Managing & Sustaining Your Business Continuity Management Program. Business Continuity Management Planning Series (3rd ed.). Singapore: GMH Pte Ltd.

Extracted from "Chapter 22: Conclusion"

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